Liang Zhu was slightly stunned. “How bold of me?”
Come on, when it comes to lust, people are bold enough to defy Heaven, all right?
Liang Zhu complained inwardly, but his face was filled with fearful panic.
The Empress asked with her hands behind her back, “Have you already found the titled sword saint and deliberately concealed it from me?”
Liang Zhu shook his head in bewildered confusion.
“You didn’t find him?” the Empress asked, puzzled. “Then how did you scare Long Baitian away today? Don’t tell me this has nothing to do with you!”
Liang Zhu gave a bitter smile. “Your Majesty, it really has nothing to do with me! That old fellow simply tripped while walking. I’m still completely bewildered myself.”
The Empress made a sound of acknowledgment, then nodded and said, “So Long Baitian really was just putting on an act?”
Liang Zhu did not dare answer.
If he started bragging recklessly now and Her Majesty said, “Since that is the case, beloved minister, go test Long Baitian’s strength,” things would be disastrous.
Fortunately, the Empress had no intention of using Liang Zhu as cannon fodder.
Xiao Meiyue was afraid that the Empress would continue dwelling on the matter of Long Baitian.
In Xiao Meiyue’s eyes, Little Pillar was merely an ordinary little eunuch with a talent for glib talk and a few minor tricks.
Someone like that could please his master, but he should stay out of military and national affairs.
Thus, Xiao Meiyue hurriedly helped Liang Zhu change the subject. “Your Majesty, you are tired from your duties. Why not have Little Pillar give you a massage?”
Xiao Meiyue’s thinking was simple: the Empress appreciated Liang Zhu only because his massage could relieve fatigue, right?
Surely Her Majesty did not truly intend to rely on Eunuch Xiao Zhuzi, with his “loyalty to the monarch, devotion to the nation, diligence, and capability,” to Slay Dragon Worship Heaven?
A massage?
The Empress and Liang Zhu were slightly stunned, and the two looked at each other.
Ever since last night’s dreamscape, the Empress, who had not slept a wink, was actually still in excellent spirits, and her body felt relaxed as well. She did not need a massage to relieve fatigue.
But the Empress felt that if she flatly refused, it would seem somewhat like she had a guilty conscience.
After all, the Empress did not want others to know that she possessed mysterious power.
Thus, after hesitating for a moment, the Empress still agreed to Xiao Meiyue’s suggestion.
The Empress lay face down on the low couch, and Liang Zhu secretly swallowed a mouthful of spit.
There was nothing covering the back of her traditional chinese bodice.
Viewed from above, her jade-white back was hidden beneath a thin veil.
It was not as though he could see everything clearly, but there was only a layer of gauze between them.
Liang Zhu steadied himself and began to show his skill.
Back in the Demon Capital, Liang Zhu had been known as the “Two-Finger Zen.”
No matter how tremendous your restraint, two fingers were enough to slay Hua Xiong.
Liang Zhu extended his hands and began various massage techniques—a clarification: medical massage and blind massage, all right? We are not doing clocks or watches here.
The Empress lay face down on the low couch, feeling utterly comfortable. https://m.
Xiao Yanran muttered, “All right, you can stop pressing…”
Liang Zhu said in a low voice, “Your Majesty, let me press a little longer.”
“I said you can stop pressing!” Xiao Yanran sat up awkwardly. “I’m going to change clothes. You may withdraw for now!”
Xiao Meiyue asked tactlessly, “Your Majesty, didn’t you just change clothes?”
The Empress said, depressed, “Can’t I change again if I want to?!”
Liang Zhu and Xiao Meiyue looked at each other without knowing what to do, then hurriedly withdrew.
After a moment, the Empress emerged wearing another set of clean clothes.
Seeing that the Empress had resumed working, everyone relaxed considerably and waited outside the imperial bedchamber for orders.
About half an hour by Earth time later, the Princess came bouncing in.
“Older sister, older sister!” the Princess said coquettishly all the way in. “There’s something I want to discuss with you.”
As she spoke, the Princess also glanced at Liang Zhu.
Liang Zhu felt that something was wrong.
The Empress stared at the memorial on the desk and said without raising her head, “What is it? Speak quickly!”
The Princess had an innocent expression. “Older sister, could you transfer Little Pillar to my side? That guy is so much fun.”
“Fun?” The Empress finally set down her brush. “What is so fun about a eunuch?”
The Princess said with a smile, “He played heroine-catching-thief with me, and he got completely into character.”
The Empress helplessly waved her hand. “For something like that, you can simply call him over. There is no need to transfer him to your palace to serve there… I still have uses for Little Pillar here.”
As she spoke, the Empress raised her voice and called, “Little Pillar!”
Liang Zhu hurried over and asked what Your Majesty required.
In truth, Liang Zhu already knew what she required.
As expected, the Empress told Liang Zhu to accompany the Princess and play with her for a while, and that he did not need to report for duty today.
Liang Zhu followed the Princess pitifully to Changle Palace.
Watching Liang Zhu’s figure from behind, the Empress said solemnly, “Eunuch Wei, go and see whether Little Pillar truly knows martial arts. Observe him carefully!”
Wei Jiuxian, standing in the shadows, answered with a sound of acknowledgment, and his aged figure silently followed after them.
Changle Palace was the Princess’s residence, containing more than a hundred rooms inside and out.
But there were not many palace maids in the rooms.
Everyone knew that Princess Xiao Yanzhi was a Little Demoness. When this girl went wild, everyone who saw her was terrified.
Thus, to keep the royal family from losing all face, people rarely lingered inside Changle Palace.
Today, the Princess had dragged the favorite Eunuch Xiao Zhuzi from Her Majesty the Empress’s side here.
Everyone pretended not to see, so Eunuch Xiao Zhuzi would not feel awkward afterward.
After entering Changle Palace and closing the gate, the Princess handed Liang Zhu a wooden sword. “Come on, let’s begin!”
“Are you insane?!” Liang Zhu casually tossed the wooden sword onto the ground. “Why do you keep fighting and killing for no reason?”
The Princess pouted. “Fine, we don’t have to fight and kill. Come up with something fun instead.”
Liang Zhu looked at her with disdain. “Look at how little ambition you have…”
Liang Zhu had a palace maid bring over some stiff paper.
Then Liang Zhu began writing on the paper.
First came one, two, three, four… then one card each for Heaven, Earth, the Creative, and the Receptive.
Then came General, Minister, and King, again one card each for Heaven, Earth, the Creative, and the Receptive.
Finally, there was one card each for the Empress and the Princess.
The fifty-four cards whirred in Liang Zhu’s hands. “Face the wind, Princess!”
In the first round, a Old Maid competition, the Princess suffered a crushing defeat, with her face covered in paper strips.
In the second round, a stud-poker competition, the Princess lost one hundred and seventy noses, which Liang Zhu scraped away until even her little nose bridge collapsed.
The third round…
The Princess shouted angrily, “stop, stop, stop! Why am I always the one who loses?!”